What is an MMORTS?

MMORTS stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Real Time Strategy Game. For so long have people around the world waited for this game: Novus Aeterno. It might just usher in a new era of online strategy gaming. This is a process you will want to be a part of if you're a gamer like me!

The MMORTS genre is in peril.

Long desired quests for galactic conquest and empire building - a dream that anyone who knows what an MMORTS is has dreamt of on more than one occasion. In my case, a daily reoccurrence and personal goal. I eat, sleep and drink MMORTS games, having played every title imaginable. (One of the many benefits of being my own boss!) This gives me unique insight into the "universe" of this game.

I've spent my last few days observing live streams, streaming my own gameplay and generally doing a ton of well deserved promoting of Novus Aeterno. If you look around on Youtube there are a few videos featuring developer audio from a recent live stream they did via Twitch. Basically, all of the Alpha testers played against the development team and it was all streamed live (and recorded)! One of the devs is quoted as saying "You'd be surprised at what we actually get out of this" - referring to the process that EVERYONE in the stream was taking part in. I have dedicated a large amount of time and energy to try and get the word out but frankly the Kickstarter needs the help of a very passionate community that is here, in all of you, just waiting to read this and gain an interest in this project.

A project that is the passion of millions of people around the world.

When I first heard the game devs were going to do a stream and had opened up the Alpha for public application, I had no idea how in depth the dev team would get; needless to say everyone watching that first stream was absolutely blown away. Their efforts and the work they have already done over the last few years without a big publisher are a testament to the pure passion involved behind the scenes of this game's development.

These guys love what they do and do what they love, having made it very clear at every turn. One viewing of their latest stream will back that claim as you bear witness to the utter joy experienced by the devs as they take questions and explain the game. What a truly mind blowing experience! To think that there are game development companies out there that don't just think about the bottom line. That gamers would be so passionate that they would build the world that the average publisher has denied us all for the last decade or longer.

Novus Aeterno: a "love child of Starcraft and EvE"

Let me just say as someone who has experienced both - SPOT ON! Not only are the graphics AMAZING but simple visuals such as the way the buildings are deployed will have you in awe.

You start your journey with 1 planet, in the big black void of space. Through militaristic, economic and diplomatic means you will play the game, form alliances with other players and build or destroy empires as you see fit. You are truly the master of your own destiny. With a universe and it's story that is completely open-ended. Consisting of an unimaginable number of solar systems for you to explore, build, destroy, terraform and much more. Being a persistent universe, ALL of the power is given to the players themselves. While they do plan PvE it is obvious (thank goodness!) that PvP will be the focus of this game.

Sound interesting? Make it happen!

If you love gaming as much as I do, show your support by following them on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/novusaeterno) AND twitter (https://twitter.com/novusaeterno). Also, don't forget to watch their latest recorded stream where they cover a lot more than I can in one article and you can watch hours of gameplay.

Please head over to their Kickstarter page at http://goo.gl/r9N2XZ and show your support by pledging and sharing the page with your friends. Don't forget to visit their primary website at http://novusaeterno.com where you can find a ton of fun information including details on how to sign up for their Infiltrator (Alpha & Beta) program!

Keep your eyes on the Steam store, they'll be there before long! I'll see you in the universe, people! Tell em' Czar sent ya!

Wrong. Just a huge fan doing my best to try and increase interest in a project that deserves attention from the gaming community at large. You don't have to visit Gameskinny but I do appreciate your feedback and welcome everyone to read my stuff!

One thing to keep in mind is that it isn’t easy to build a MMO, especially as an indie studio, that is why there are incredibly few MMOs being developed by indie studios. Now, add the fact that we are trying to make a MMO no one else has ever made before and the fact that we did it in 7 years and more than half of that time the team only consisted of 1 server engineer and 1 client engineer. It’s actually an INCREDIBLY fast turnaround. Remember EVE online took 10 years before it was initially released and it looked NOTHING like it does today.

Also, may i say that is why it is called Early Alpha... because there is still MUCH left to do.

I do apologies that it has taken so long, but if you measure the development time in actual developer “man months”, the development put into it so far is far above the industry standard.

I am not trying to rage at you for saying you don't like my game, that's completely understandable. Just remember that there is a lot left to do, I just wanted you to understand a bit of why it has taken 7 years.

I don't mean to belittle any accomplishments or imply that it was an easy task. This article struck me as very heavy on the positives without any real discussion on whether or not the developer is likely to deliver on it's promises. Kickstarter and the recent shift to early access betas has resulted in lots of indie developers over promising and disappointing contributors. Often these small companies cite their size as a reason why expectations they themselves laid out aren't being met.

I would like for this game to succeed. Plenty of other games have long development times, but failing to achieve timely results or secure funding can cripple any studio. I checked in routinely when you had the old website, and eventually lost interest. Quite a while ago this was described as being close to release, now you have timelines mentioning release in six months. I hope this happens and that the years of development will be evident, but I felt like the seven year time span should be mentioned.

The one fact you conveniently overlook with each post is that "other games" typically have large publishers backing them with the funds needed to meet their advertising requirements. The developers already have a contract with Steam. The game is a sure thing. The 7 year time span shows dedication and passion to the fans that aren't blind or brainwashed cynics. Thank you for the kind wishes and best of luck to you as well! :)

I picked up on this when it was first announced and was very excited. However after years of it seeming to drag around I lost the excitement, and when I finally played the alpha I was just not impressed.

This game has been in 'development' for 7 years. I would caution anyone thinking of throwing money at it.

They're a very small company without the funding of most large publishers so your argument is laughable at best. You can caution people about throwing money at it all you want but this project is not going to go away or die just because your opinion is extremely misguided. Until someone can show that their similar game is better I'd say your post, while understandable is, well, quite frankly just plain wrong. Just because you love something and want it as bad as you wanted it does not mean you will get it right away. Such is life. Especially if the funds aren't there yet. Thanks for stopping by! Hurray for indie dedicated and passionate indie companies!!!! :)

I am part of the Novus Aeterno team and I wanted to stop in here and thank you for the great article. Our game is playable right now(we have hundreds testing) and it will be finished in 6 months or less if our Kickstarter is successful. We have been developing the game for almost 7 years and can't wait to get it in your hands.
Novus Aeterno is so impressive that Steam accepted us right away, bypassing the Greenlight program. This is an honor usually reserved for large, long established game studios. Those who back our game above the minimum threshold will get access to play the game within a short time after the Kickstarter finishes or sooner. We may give out more keys in the near future. I suggest you follow our FB and Twitter after backing our game.